Why there is no silver bullet for Knowledge Management

There is no silver bullet for Knowledge Management, because KM is a management system with many component parts, all of which need to be in place. 

Bar Silver Bullet by Sprott Money on Flickr

We often hear vendors promising us a KM silver bullet - usually some sort of technology. "Buy our search engine/Collaboration software/enterprise social platform and your KM problems will be solved.

But it doesn't work.

Knowledge Management requires more than technology, it needs the four enablers of

• Roles and accountabilities; roles such as CoP leaders, Knowledge Managers, and Knowledge Owners
• Processes; specific KM processes such as After action review, Lessons Capture, Knowledge Asset creation etc
• KM Technology, a suite of tools such as portals, collaboration tools, search engines, lesson management systems etc.
• Governance, such as KM policy, metrics and incentives, support etc.

All of these elements are mutually supportive. There is no point in introducing one of them (collaboration tools, for example) without addressing the others as well.

Also many of the promised solver bullets cover only one aspect of Knowledge Management, such as searching, or allowing conversation. However there is no point in searching for knowledge, without addressing the possibility that the knowledge is still tacit and can only be accessed through conversation. Also there is no point in conversation if the knowledge needed lies beyond the memories of individuals, and is documented somewhere, waiting to be found.

The roles, processes, technologies and governance also need to address:

• Transfer of tacit knowledge through conversation; in networks, communities of practice, mentoring and coaching;
• Codification of knowledge; in lesson learned systems, A3 sheets, and community- created guidance;
• Synthesis of multiple sources of codified knowledge into one set of guidance - a Knowledge Asset;
• Finding, reviewing and internalising codified knowledge in some sort of planned learning process.

Knowledge Management is a system, with a framework of components.  Sometimes there are sub-components of KM that add value on their own for a limited time  - Peer Assists, for example, COmmunities of Practice and Lesson Learning - but eventually even these whould be incorporated into a system.

In most organisations therefore, introducing Knowledge Management is not a case of introducing one component - one silver bullet.  It is a case of introducing a system - a new way of working, and a new way of thinking.

Think System, not Bullet.